The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 128 Liyi
Tian An was always cautious in his actions. Led by the eunuch, he asked again, "Has the Prime Minister recently visited Zhangtai Palace?"

The eunuch whispered, "The Prime Minister has been busy with state affairs at the Prime Minister's residence these days and has not come to Zhangtai Palace."

Fusu walked up the steps and quickly arrived in front of Zhangtai Palace.

At this moment, the doors of the main hall of Zhangtai Palace were tightly closed. In the past, when he came here, the doors of this main hall were always open. Fusu realized that it seemed like he hadn't properly looked at the doors of the main hall of Zhangtai Palace in a long time.

The palace gate was very tall, appearing to be over ten feet high.

The eunuch pushed open the heavy palace door with force, only slightly opening it to allow a person to enter. Sunlight shone through this crack into the dimly lit hall, the light appearing as a thin line, illuminating only a small portion of the space.

Fusu entered the main hall, where many candles were lit. His father, the Emperor, sat inside, with a memorial tablet on the table.

Compared to the sweltering heat outside, the palace was rather chilly. Even by the light of the candle, Fusu couldn't make out his father's expression.

He simply stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Father."

"You haven't sent a message to Meng Tian yet?"

"No."

"I know that you and Meng Tian have been close friends since childhood, and I thought that you would definitely send a message to Meng Tian after Meng Wu's death."

“Your subject is the Minister of the Imperial Household Department, and Meng Tian is the General of Shangjun. Each of us has our own duties. Even if we are very close friends, we must consider the overall situation.”

Ying Zheng handed a scroll to a eunuch standing nearby.

Then the eunuch handed the bamboo scroll to Prince Fusu.

Fusu took the bamboo slip and looked at it quietly. After General Meng Wu passed away, Prime Minister Li Si presided over the funeral and then sent the bad news to Meng Tian.

Meng Tian was stationed at the northern Great Wall, a position crucial to the stability of the northern Great Wall, and could not abandon his post without authorization.

This bamboo scroll is Meng Tian's reply. Meng Tian was in mourning in Shangjun and continued to guard the northern border. He would return to Guanzhong in the future and continue to pay his respects to General Meng Wu at his memorial tablet.

Meng Tian was an extremely loyal general. Even when he was in Shangjun, he chose to side with loyalty when faced with the choice between loyalty and filial piety.

Furthermore, Meng Tian was exactly that kind of person; he was the kind of general that Qin wanted—someone who could set an example for the army.

In the future, Meng Tian will surely carry the regret of today and kill the Xiongnu to relieve the pain in his heart.

After reading it, Fusu sighed, "Your subject admires Meng Tian."

Afterwards, Fusu looked at the memorial tablet of General Mengwu, took a wine cup from the eunuch beside him, raised the wine cup and bowed to the memorial tablet.

Ying Zheng looked at his son with observant eyes, as if trying to see through his son's heart and what he was thinking.

After observing for only a short while, Ying Zheng said, "Alright, state affairs are busy and cannot be delayed."

Fusu bowed and said, "Your subject takes his leave."

When Fusu walked out of Zhangtai Palace again, the palace gates closed once more.

Fusu looked back at the tightly closed gate, stood there for a while, and then looked away before continuing to walk forward.

Fusu recalled reading Han Fei's books and wondered how much Legalism or Han Fei had influenced the First Emperor. He wondered what kind of impression these ideas would leave on the First Emperor after they were repeatedly confirmed in his mind.

Qin Ting did give the Qi-Lu scholars a chance, and at one point, Qin Ting even tried to treat them well.

Fusu recalled a sentence he had read in Han Fei's book: "A loving mother will raise a spoiled son, while a strict master will not have a tough servant."

Fusu wondered if the First Emperor would doubt the validity of Han Feizi's statement when he saw it, wondering if a loving mother would necessarily raise a spoiled child.
Do strict masters really not have tough servants?

When the First Emperor summoned scholars from Qi and Lu to Qin, he treated them well for a time, but what was the result?
What are your thoughts after taking in what you saw and heard during this year's Eastern Tour?

At the foot of Mount Tai, during the demolition of the shrine, the cries of the Qilu doctors and their resistance.

There was also Han Zhong, who died in Pengcheng.

Now, having returned to Guanzhong once again, the First Emperor has seen what the people of most of the country are like after unifying the Central Plains.

“A loving mother will raise a spoiled child, while a strict master will not have strong servants… In other words, Han Fei actually meant something else when he said this: benevolent governance will breed corrupt officials, while strict laws will bring peace to the world.”

Whenever I think back on Han Fei's words, it's as if he had already foreseen all sorts of human endings. He told me a very hopeless reality, but there are always people who don't believe that this reality is hopeless.

Only after you've experienced it time and time again, been tormented to the point of exhaustion and utter devastation, will you be able to savor its meaning when you look back at it.

The First Emperor considered treating the former nobles of the six states, the surrendered rulers of the six states, and the scholars of Qi and Lu with kindness.

But now, Father should be more resolute and no longer be misled.

Whether it's Han Fei, Shang Yang's Book, or the Qin Laws, it doesn't matter.

These three things would repeatedly remind the First Emperor that the Qin law was the nail that held the Qin banner in place on the foundation of the state, and that future First Emperors would likely find it difficult to be lenient.

Face reality, don't harbor illusions.

Fusu felt that it should have been done long ago.

Then another eunuch brought an imperial edict from the First Emperor: "Your Highness, the Emperor decrees that many state affairs before autumn shall be handled by the Prime Minister and Your Highness."

Fusu bowed and accepted the imperial edict.

The next day, the weather was still unbearably hot, and the Prime Minister's residence was still operating "overloaded".

Fusu sat in the Prime Minister's residence, handling state affairs with Prime Minister Li Si.

Even Wang Ben was not in Xianyang recently. After returning to Xianyang, Wang Ben went to visit the Duke of Pinyang.

In the past, no matter how busy he was, Zhang Cang would still go to Wang Ben's place to spend time with him at night.

The two were like bosom friends.

Zhang Cang is not in much spirits right now. He is exhausted from traveling and has been working non-stop since he came back.

A scroll of documents was delivered to Fusu by a palace attendant.

Fusu looked at the scroll, which recorded the construction of the Qin Emperor's Mausoleum.

As the Minister of the Imperial Household Department, Fusu was paying attention to the construction of the Qin Emperor's Mausoleum for the first time. According to the documents, much of the construction of the mausoleum was nearing completion.

The eunuch added, "Tomorrow at noon, the emperor will order the young master to go to Liyi."

Fusu glanced at the busy crowd at the Prime Minister's residence, nodded slightly, and knew that this matter was very important.

If the First Emperor were to pass away in the future, his funeral arrangements would be overseen by the future Crown Prince of Qin, who would become the second Qin Emperor.

Fusu stayed at the Prime Minister's residence until dusk before finally leaving.

Many people will be busy until late at night today.

After leaving the Prime Minister's residence, Fusu passed by the residence of the Doctors. The gate of the Doctors' residence was closed. There were no Doctors from Qi and Lu walking around there. After the trip to Mount Tai, the First Emperor ordered the destruction of the Qi and Lu Temple.

After Li Si ordered the armored soldiers to destroy the shrines one by one, the Qi-Lu scholars realized that the First Emperor and Li Si had long since exhausted their patience with them. Once these Qi-Lu scholars were no longer of any use, the Qin court would ruthlessly abandon them, just as the Qin Dynasty had abandoned Wang Wan in the past.

If they were as astute as Wang Wan in assessing the situation, the Qin court should be able to give them a dignified end.

Was Kong Fu the backbone of the Qi-Lu scholars? He might only dare to hide somewhere, lacking even the courage to face the First Emperor. The next day, Fusu left Xianyang and arrived at Liyi under the escort of a troop of soldiers.

This was Fusu's second visit to Liyi.

The last time I came to this place was three years ago, when the Jingye Canal was still under construction.

The place remained desolate, the entire town seemed lifeless, with a sparse population, resembling a deserted village. Only when a few wisps of smoke were occasionally seen did one know that someone was cooking.

Fusu followed the eunuch through the village of Liyi and then arrived at a mansion.

Tian An stood outside the courtyard, and then Fusu followed the eunuch into the quiet courtyard.

Outside the main hall of the mansion, there were many shoes. Fusu looked up into the hall and saw his great-grandfather Ying Xi, whom he had not seen for a long time.

I never expected my father to be here too.

Fusu took off his shoes and walked into the hall. Besides his father and great-grandfather, there were many other elderly people there, all of whom were unfamiliar faces.

They were discussing something, and Fusu sat down in the far corner on one side.

Many of the matters discussed were related to the imperial tombs.

Fusu had a general idea of ​​what was going on, but he was still a little uncertain.

As everyone finished speaking, they all bowed and left.

Fusu saw the old man he had met the first time he came to Liyi. The old man was leaning on a cane and looking at him.

Fusu felt somewhat uncomfortable under the other person's gaze.

"It would be best if the young master were appointed as the Minister of the Imperial Household Department; entrusting the matter of the imperial mausoleum to Wang Ben would be unwise."

Fusu looked at the other person.

This time, the other party smiled.

But the old man's smile was not very pleasant.

He walked over step by step, each time his cane hit the floor, it made a sound. He said, "Young master, please come with me."

The Emperor had already left the main hall, and Fusu asked, "Father, aren't you coming with us?"

When he asked this question, Fusu was still wary.

The old man chuckled and said, "Living people cannot look at their own tombs."

Upon hearing this, Fusu stood up, bowed, and said, "Please lead the way, elder."

"I used to be a palace attendant in Xianyang. You can call me Wuyang, young master. I am also a native of this area."

The Dian people are the guardians of the tombs, a role that has been passed down through generations.

No wonder, Fusu always felt that this place lacked vitality.

The construction of Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum was more than half completed. The emperor came here to confirm it, but he could not visit his own mausoleum, so this task had to be left to his son.

Wu Yang said, "If you are made crown prince, you will be responsible for escorting the emperor to his mausoleum in the future."

Fusu nodded.

After putting his shoes back on, Fusu followed the old man out of the courtyard, and Tian An followed behind.

After passing through a forest in Liyi, Fusu walked for an unknown amount of time in a mountain forest to the north of Liyi, feeling as if he had crossed several mountain peaks.

Upon hearing the neighing of horses, Fusu gazed at a distant valley, a vast construction site where approximately a thousand people were working.

As Wu Yang walked down the valley, he said, "There used to be more people working here, but there are fewer now."

When Fusu finally descended into the valley, he saw towering stone pillars, countless terracotta warriors, and large chunks of jade.

Fusu had never seen such a large piece of jade in his life, along with several pottery jars and even a chariot.

Passing through the bustling construction site, Fusu noticed that the tools being cast here were all enormous. Fusu saw two huge doors placed in the valley.

These two doors were enormous, as if they were meant for giants.

Fusu followed Wuyang to the entrance of a passage.

Wu Yang said, "After you have seen this place, I will tell the First Emperor about the scenery here."

As he spoke, Wu Yang instructed a group of young men to carry a bag of dry rations and a water bag, and led them into the passage.

Upon entering the passage for the first time, Fusu could feel a chill in his face. This was the mausoleum of the First Emperor, but Fusu could only visit it before its completion, and this might be the only time he could see it.

The mausoleum's furnishings are all built on a scale several times larger, and many more items are being transported inside. There are also many people working inside.

After passing through several passages, and after walking for what seemed like an hour or two, Fusu finally came to a spacious area. There were oil lamps lit up here, and various utensils were placed on the ground.

But this was probably the most inconspicuous place, filled with various household utensils. Fusu even discovered a stove, which was the style of stove that Tian An liked the most.

Continuing onward, crossing the open area, Fusu continued walking, eventually crossing a bridge.

The bridge stands on two cliffs. Wu Yang said, "Young master, be careful."

Upon hearing this, Fusu withdrew his gaze from looking down the bridge.

Wu Yang took the torch from the young man beside him and threw it down the bridge. The torch fell straight down until the light disappeared into the darkness. After a long time, Fu Su could vaguely hear the sound of the torch hitting the ground.

Fusu heard the words "Milky Way" from Wu Yang's mouth. The Milky Way he was referring to was not the Milky Way in the sky, but rather the Mercury River. There was no mercury poured in here yet, and there was no strange smell.

However, according to Wu Yang's account, once this place is fully constructed, when the First Emperor enters his mausoleum, the river here will flow with mercury.

After crossing the bridge, Fusu saw a vast open space. The terracotta warriors stood there, stretching as far as the eye could see, and their figures could be vaguely seen in the torchlight.

They stood in neat rows, a sight so magnificent it left people speechless.

Fusu followed behind Wuyang and glanced at Tian An, who was following behind him.

Tian An responded with a smile. Fu Su suspected that he must know Wu Yang, otherwise why would he stand outside that house so consciously?

The first time I came here, it was when Tian An was talking to Wu Yang.

Therefore, Fusu suspected that Tian An's superb skills must be related to the local Dian people.

Or perhaps he was originally one of the Dian people?
Fusu didn't know Tian An's past, nor had he ever mentioned it. He always felt that this mysterious and loyal old man had a very rich past.

Along the way, they had changed torches several times, and Fusu was even getting a little tired, but they still hadn't reached the end of the imperial mausoleum.

Wu Yang distributed the cakes to everyone, saying, "Young Master, please take a nap; it's already late at night."

After arriving here, he couldn't see the sun. Fusu vaguely felt that a long time had passed, but before he knew it, it was already late at night.

(End of this chapter)